An Operatic Glossary

An Operatic Glossary This is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to opera jargon, only a quick look-up for words and phrases in the novel that may have stopped the eye of, or excited the interest of, a reader. Entries are in alphabetical order, ignoring only initial ‘the’ and its foreign-language equivalents. The date given for an opera is the date of first performance. An expression like “2.ix” after the opera’s name indicates “act two, scene nine” of the opera, as most commonly performed. Arias are mostly referred to by their first few words. I have filled this out to a full sentence, or as much of one as seemed required to give some flavor of the aria’s meaning and dramatic point, where these are not plain in the novel. My references to “the standard repertory” should not be taken too seriously. To the best of my knowledge, the International Standards Orga- nization does not issue rulings on opera production. “The standard repertory” is merely a shorthand for “the few dozen operas most frequently performed”. It is to some degree a child of fashion. As years go by, operas, composers, and even entire genres enter, exit, or re-enter the standard repertory. Fifty years ago, for example, there was less Italian opera (and much less bel canto) than there is today. 253 3797-DERB JOHN DERBYSHIRE * * * a cappella Sung without any instrumental accompaniment, as “in the chapel”. Ah, fors’ è lui . che l’anima solinga ne’ tumulti godea sovente pingere. “Ah, perhaps it’s he that my soul, alone in the tumult of pleasure, has so often pictured.” Aria from Verdi’s La traviata, 1.v. Violetta, alone after the party at which Alfredo confessed his love for her, wonders whether, in the midst of her life of frivolity, there can be true love. Ah! non credea mirarti . sì presto estinto, o fiore. “Ah! I didn’t think I’d see you perished so soon, O flower.” An aria in Bellini’s opera La sonnambula, 2.ix. Sweet Amina, sleepwalking, takes from her bosom Elvino’s flowers, now withered. Ah! se non m’ami più . perché sì dolce ancor sembra parlar d’amor il tuo sorriso? “Ah! If you no longer love me, why does your smile still seem to speak so sweetly of love?” Aria from Bellini’s opera La straniera, 2.vii. Aida An opera by Verdi, 1871. Aida, daughter of the Ethiopian King, is a slave at the court of Egypt’s Pharaoh. The heart of the plot is the tension between her love for Ramades, the Egyptian general, and for her country, with which Egypt is at war. When Ramades defeats the Ethiopians and brings back prisoners—including Aida’s father, incognito—the Pharaoh in gratitude betroths his daughter Amneris to him, and the jealousy of Amneris helps drive the story to its tragic conclusion. allargando “Becoming slower.” A musical term. Amneris See Aida. andantino An andante is a moderately slow piece of music. An andantino is one just “a little bit andante”, i.e. slightly slower than an andante. The 254 FIRE FROM THE SUN first part of the “Ah, fors’ è lui” cantabile (measures 23 to 116) is an andantino. appoggiatura A kind of grace note (see “grace notes” below). An appoggiatura note precedes the main note. aria A song for one voice. In the bel canto period—on which, for the sake of simplicity, I have focused Margaret’s attention—there were set formats for the aria. The most interesting of these was the so-called “grand aria” in two parts, the first slow and thoughtful to show a singer’s powers of expression, the second faster and more “technical”, to show her agility. The second part is called the “cabaletta”. The first part has no fixed name. Some singers call it the “andante” or “adagio”, some—like the metaphorical Mr Mathews in my postscript—the “largo”. Some, to make things really confusing, call it the “cavatina” (see below). I follow Verdi, who called it the “cantabile”. Because a change of pace is required between the cantabile and the cabaletta, there is often a spell of spoken or sung dialogue in between to allow for the necessary plot development. A messenger appears with dramatic news, a confidante reveals a secret, or something of that sort. Also, the entire grand aria is usually “set up” for the listener by some sung dialog or “cantabile” instrumental music in front. (“Cantabile”, when used as an adjective, means “singable”, i.e. suitable for the voice even if not actually sung as a stop-the-action set piece.) This setting-up is called “scena”. arioso A short stretch of sung music in the midst of some recitative (see below for “recitative”). A te, O cara . amor talora mi guidò furtivo e in pianto. “To you, O dearest, love formerly guided me secretly and in tears.” Duet from Bellini’s I puritani, 1.v. Arturo, entering Valton’s castle, greets Elvira and they sing of their love for each other. Contains some sensational high notes. 255 3797-DERB JOHN DERBYSHIRE The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia.1) An opera by Rossini, 1816. Beautiful, spirited young Rosina is kept indoors by her elderly guardian, who plans to make her his wife. Dashing and romantic Count Almaviva falls in love with Rosina and steals her from under the old man’s nose, assisted by Figaro, the town’s barber and general fixer. baritone The middle of the three common categories of male voice, lying between the tenor and the bass. The usual range is from G at the bottom of the bass staff to F above middle C; though the baritone who plays Tonio in I pagliacci needs a strong high G at the end of the pro- logue. bass (Pronounced “base”.) The lowest of the three common categories of male voice, with a usual range from middle C down to E below the bass staff, though most good basses can go as low as D. bel canto The style of opera popular in Italy during the first part of the 19th century, and associated most particularly with the composers Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Literally “beautiful singing”. With roots in Ital- ian Baroque and the castrato tradition of the 18th century, bel canto opera emphasizes exquisite, often ornamented, singing, requiring great vocal agility. There was development across the period, Rossini’s exu- berant use of ornamentation giving way to the Romanticism of Bellini’s beautiful vocal line, then to Donizetti’s greater depths of characteriza- tion and dramatic development, which in turn inspired the glories of Verdi in the following generation. The world of Italian opera in the bel canto era was dominated by the singers, the most powerful of whom could dictate their own terms to composers. Operas were written for particular singers, and not infre- quently the score was partially rewritten for other singers in later produc- tions (usually in different cities). The relationship of composer to singer in bel canto opera is captured very precisely by a usage of Bellini’s. In a letter to a friend he describes the writing of an aria for the tenor Rubini. The verb he uses is provare, which is also the Italian word used by tailors to describe the fitting of a suit. 256 FIRE FROM THE SUN It should not be thought, however, that bel canto was concerned merely and solely with vocal agility. The great practitioners of bel canto— singers, composers and librettists all—knew that the human voice is not just another musical instrument. It can make words, and words have meanings. They convey events, emotions, and inner states of mind. “To make beautiful sounds is only one objective of bel canto. These sounds must illuminate and underscore the text.” 2 There you have the true essence of bel canto. Bella figlia dell’amore . schiavo son de’ vezzi tuoi. “Sweet daughter of Love, I am a slave to your charms”. Quartet from Verdi’s Rigoletto, 3.iii (see below). The Duke is chatting up Maddalena at the inn owned by Sparafucile the assassin. Meanwhile, outside the window, Rigoletto tries to comfort the betrayed Gilda. Bellini, Vincenzo Opera composer, 1801-1835. One of the most be- loved of all opera composers for his sublime melodies and long elegant vocal line, Bellini created his operas slowly and painstakingly and died tragically young from amebiasis at age 33. His influence was great and he was much admired both by contemporaries (Donizetti, Chopin) and successors (Tchaikovsky, even Wagner). If you listen to one of the great Bellini arias—“Casta diva” or “Ah! non credea mirarti” for example— and mentally subtract out the human voice, you will find music of strik- ing simplicity. But to criticize Bellini for lack of complexity in his orchestration, as has sometimes been done, is to miss the point of his art. His aim was to support the all-important vocal line, as a Tiffany setting might display a perfect gemstone. As his most conscientious biographer wrote: “His orchestration was meant to fill out harmonies, supply rhythms, and to support and help to project the meaning of the libretto”.3 Bellini’s greatest masterpiece, different from anything else he ever composed, is of course Norma. Although it was not his last opera, its perfection leaves one fretting in despair at what Bellini might have at- tained had he lived a normal life span. Inferior to Norma only because they fail to attain unblemished perfection are I puritani and La sonnambula; the former (in this writer’s opinion) better musically, the 257 3797-DERB JOHN DERBYSHIRE latter dramatically.

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